AN ADVERTISING campaign on London’s tube promoting Birmingham’s bid to become UK City of Culture may have backfired with the competition’s judges, it has emerged.

One member of the panel appointed to recommend the culture crown winner to the Government took exception to posters paid for by the city council and displayed on the London Underground, which she complained “trumpeted” Birmingham’s bid.

Anna Carragher made her views clear in an email to panel chairman Phil Redmond a week after the judges heard presentations from short-listed cities including Birmingham and eventual winners Derry/Londonderry.

Ms Carragher, a former controller of BBC Northern Ireland, wrote to Mr Redmond: “Interesting. The Derry/Londonderry website is upbeat about the presentation but not too boastful.

“When I was in London I was interested to see posters as I went down from Euston mainline to the Northern line which trumpeted Birmingham as the UK City of Culture 2013. When you looked more closely the much smaller print said ‘we’ve been shortlisted’.”

The exchange features in documents released by the Government following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Cabinet culture member Martin Mullaney (Lib Dem Moseley & Kings Heath) said: “We entered the City of Culture contest to raise the profile of Birmingham as a destination city with a thriving cultural scene and the London poster campaign was a key element in our efforts to reach a wider audience.